5 Things Carlisle Cullen Worries About
by samantha.e.anne
Summary: Five things that Carlisle has worried about in his life. [oneshots]
1. Edward

This is going to be a five part thing. Not really that long, but it's modeled after those 5 things challenges that I see everywhere. It jumps around a little.

**Edward**

Carlisle had never been worried about Edward's decision-making ability until now. Edward was always the rational one, calmly looking at things from all sides, before coming up with a decision. So unlike Emmett, who was the type to attack first, ask questions later.

He could recall with absolute clarity the moment when Edward first walked out of his life. He had been upset, naturally, but he knew that Edward was his own person and he just had hoped that he would realize the error of his ways sooner rather than later. He had always known that he would come back to him, and when he had Carlisle had welcomed him back like the prodigal son. Of all his children, and they were his children, Edward had been, and always would be, his favorite.

Bella had been another problem, an encounter that could have turned awry the moment Edward lay eyes on her. Still, it had strengthened Carlisle's opinion of Edward that much more the moment they exchanged keys. He knew from that moment on, Bella Swan would never cease to be special in Edward's mind. And he had been right.

Still, as he had silently packed his books in cardboard boxes he couldn't help but question this decision. He, like the rest of the family, had seen the changes Bella had brought out in Edward and he was unwilling to see those changes depart from his son. He wondered if maybe Edward was making the wrong decision. If maybe calm, collected, rational Edward had made a rash and emotional decision.

"I'm making the right decision Carlisle. You know I am." Edward had been leaning against the doorway, his face grim and determined, as he had stared at his father.

_I know you think that you're making the right decision Edward, but have you thought this all the way through? Bella will be devastated when you leave…_

Edward had slammed his hand against the doorway. "Of course, I've thought this all the way through. Bella will be heartbroken at first, but she'll move on, she has to. It will be me who will remember. Don't forget that Carlisle, I'm the one who has to remember every single moment I've spent with her. I'm making the right decision."

"I certainly hope that it's the right decision Edward. For all of our sakes, I hope you've chosen the right decision."

Now, as he gazed into the clearing outside of their house in New York, Carlisle kept running through the conversation in his mind. Edward had been gone for months now, and Carlisle had made Alice keep tabs on him as he wandered around the Americas. He sighed, and leaned across the railing of the porch, lost in his thoughts.

"Carlisle!" Alice's scream echoed in his brain as she sprinted to his side. "Carlisle, it's Bella. She's going to kill herself."

Carlisle wished that Edward could be there at the moment just so he could ask Edward if he still thought he had made the right decision.


	2. Like Father Like Son

So. I'm glad that people liked the previous chapter. I honestly wasn't going to post this, or the Mike Newton one, I just had writers block and needed something cathartic. Um. I don't know if the people who review are getting the replies. So yeah. Anyways, here's part 2.

**Like Father, Like Song**

Sometimes, when he catches a glimpse of the Waggoner in his study Carlisle wonders if his family ever worried about what had happened to him. If his father had ordered a hunt for him, only to discover that he couldn't be found. Carlisle faintly remembers the house he grew up in, and on occasion he gets snatches of memories that involved his father, a man whose tyrannical rein over his family and home drove Carlisle's mother to an early grave. If Carlisle's father had been cruel and a religious fanatic, than his mother had been everything that Carlisle considered good in the world.

Carlisle worries about his biological family from a strictly objective perspective. He knows that half of his DNA came from his father and that the other half came from his mother, but it's the paternal set that worries him. After arguments with his children, sometimes he'll take walks. As soon as he knows he's out of range from Edward, he'll scrutinize his every word. He worries that maybe, somehow, there's some part of his father's tyranny in him. He hopes that he won't ever be anything like his father.

One time he told Esme how he worried about becoming his father. He had waited anxiously for her response, afraid that she would think him paranoid. Instead, she had taken his face between her hands and looked him straight in the eye. "Carlisle, you will never be your father. I may not be able to promise you much in this life, but I can promise you that."

"Carlisle?" Edward is waiting in the doorway, and Carlisle is thrown back to a previous conversation, in a time in his life that he's glad he's left. "Are you ready to go, Alice says the storm's only going to be a few hours and I have to convince Charlie to let Bella go."

Carlisle is slow to turn around, his mind still full of memories. He smiles at Edward but the smile doesn't reach his eyes all the way. "I'll be there in a minute Edward, just give me a minute."

Edward steps tentatively forward and he hesitantly meets Carlisle's gaze. "Hey Carlisle. I don't say this enough, but thank you."

_Thank you?_

"Yes, Thank you. For all you've done for us. We – I – appreciate it. You'll never be like him."

Even with reassurance, Carlisle worries, but on occasion he'll forget about his worries and just live in the moment.


End file.
